Patent application title: WIRE STRIPPER

Abstract:

Provided is a wire stripper, and more particularly to an apparatus for
easily removing a sheath of a metal wire. The wire stripper effectively
and quickly removes the sheath, wherein a sheath of only a required
region of the wire is removed.

Claims:

1. A wire stripper for peeling off a sheath of a wire, the wire stripper
comprising: a main shaft; a rotating unit for rotating the main shaft; a
cutting member comprising a lever that is disposed parallel to the main
shaft and is hinged to the main shaft so as to rotate with respect to a
hinge shaft perpendicular to the main shaft, a cutter that is combined to
the lever in such a way that the cutter peels off the sheath of the wire
collinearly disposed with the main shaft while the main shaft is rotated,
and a weight combined to the lever so that a location opposite to where
the cutter is located with respect to a rotating axis of the lever is
heavier; and a housing comprising an inserting hole through which the
wire is inserted and guided to the cutter of the cutting member, and
accommodating the cutting member and at least a part of the main shaft.

2. The wire stripper of claim 1, wherein the lever and the weight of the
cutting member are integrally formed as one body.

3. The wire stripper of claim 1, further comprising an elastic member
that is disposed between the main shaft and the cutting member, and
providing an elastic force to the cutting member so that the cutting
member rotates in such a way that the cutter moves farther from a center
axis line of the main shaft.

4. The wire stripper of claim 3, wherein a plurality of the cutting
members are prepared and the number of elastic members prepared is the
same as the number of the plurality of cutting members.

5. The wire stripper of claim 4, wherein the plurality of cutting members
are disposed at regular angle intervals along a circumferential direction
with respect to the main shaft.

6. The wire stripper of claim 4, wherein the lever of the cutting member
has an incline, a through hole penetrating a center of the main shaft in
a length direction is formed in the main shaft, and the wire stripper
further comprising a slide shaft, which is inserted into and installed in
the through hole of the main shaft and comprises a diameter adjuster that
limits a nearest distance of the cutter to the wire by contacting the
incline of the lever according to a relative location to the main shaft.

7. The wire stripper of claim 6, further comprising a diameter adjusting
unit that comprises a fixed body combined to the main shaft, and a knob
screwed to the fixed body and combined to the slide shaft.

8. The wire stripper of claim 1, wherein the rotating unit comprises a
motor, a driving pulley combined to the motor, a driven pulley combined
to the main shaft, and a belt connecting the driving pulley and the
driven pulley.

9. The wire stripper of claim 1, wherein the cutter of the cutting member
is formed of an artificial diamond.

10. The wire stripper of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an air
inlet hole and an air outlet hole for discharging sheath dust of the wire
according to pneumatic pressure.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application
No. 10-2009-0101686, filed on Oct. 26, 2009, in the Korean Intellectual
Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its
entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a wire stripper, and more
particularly, to an apparatus for easily removing a sheath of a metal
wire.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Generally, in order to prevent an electric shock, a wire is covered
with a synthetic resin sheath or a sheath coated with enamel or other
paint. When such a wire is to be connected to a terminal or another wire,
a sheath of the wire is peeled off so that a metal, such as copper, is
externally exposed, and the exposed metal is connected to the terminal,
or the like. As such, the wire is connected to the terminal or the other
wire after peeling off the sheath of the wire.

[0006] Specifically, a cable for power transmission is formed by binding
up tens to hundreds of strands of wire sheathed with enamel coating and
sheathing the bound tens to hundreds of strands of wire with a synthetic
resin. In order to connect the two cables for power transmission to each
other, sheaths of all strands of wire are peeled off, and the cables are
connected and bound to each other by using a hydraulic system while the
cables face each other.

[0007] Conventionally, the sheaths of the cable were manually peeled off,
i.e., a person peeled off the sheaths of tens to hundreds of strands of
wire one by one with a knife. Thus, operation efficiency was remarkably
low, and the sheaths were not effectively peeled off. For example, a
residue may be left since the sheath is not clearly peeled off, or a
metal may be peeled off together with the sheath.

[0008] Accordingly, in order to easily peel off the sheaths, the sheaths
were removed by using chemicals. However, installing and connecting
operations of the cables for power transmission are generally performed
in a small space underground, and a toxic gas may be generated due to the
chemicals. Also, a liquid chemical may flow and peel off a sheath more
than required.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention provides an apparatus for rapidly performing
an operation of removing a sheath of a wire.

[0010] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided
a wire stripper for peeling off a sheath of a wire, the wire stripper
including: a main shaft; a rotating unit for rotating the main shaft; a
cutting member including a lever that is disposed parallel to the main
shaft and is hinged to the main shaft so as to rotate with respect to a
hinge shaft perpendicular to the main shaft, a cutter that is combined to
the lever in such a way that the cutter peels off the sheath of the wire
collinearly disposed with the main shaft while the main shaft is rotated,
and a weight combined to the lever so that a location opposite to where
the cutter is located with respect to a rotating axis of the lever is
heavier; and a housing including an inserting hole through which the wire
is inserted and guided to the cutter of the cutting member, and
accommodating the cutting member and at least a part of the main shaft.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The above and other features and advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary
embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wire stripper according to an
embodiment of the present invention; and

[0013]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line II-II of the
wire stripper of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more fully
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary
embodiments of the invention are shown.

[0015]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a wire stripper according to an
embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view
taken along a line II-II of the wire stripper of FIG. 1.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, the wire stripper according to the current
embodiment of the present invention includes a main shaft 10, a rotating
unit 20, a cutting member 30, and a housing 40.

[0017] The rotating unit 20 includes a motor 21, a driving pulley 22, a
driven pulley 24, and a belt 23. The driving pulley 22 is combined to the
motor 21 and is rotated by the motor 21. The driving pulley 22 and the
driven pulley 24 are connected by the belt 23. The driven pulley 24 also
rotates in association with the rotation of the driving pulley 22. The
main shaft 10 is combined to the driven pulley 24, and rotates with the
driven pulley 24. The driving pulley 22, the driven pulley 24, the belt
23, and the main shaft 10 are accommodated and installed in a holder 80.

[0018] Two bearings 81 and 82 are installed in the holder 80 along a
length direction of the main shaft 10. Outer rings of the two bearings 81
and 82 are fit to the holder 80, and inner rings of the two bearings 81
and 82 are fit to the main shaft 10. An outer ring spacer 83 is disposed
between the outer rings of each of the two bearings 81 and 82, and an
inner ring spacer 84 is disposed between the inner rings of each of the
two bearings 81 and 82. The outer and inner ring spacers 83 and 84
maintain a space between the two bearings 81 and 82, and support the two
bearings 81 and 82 in a shaft direction.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cutting member 30 is installed at
the main shaft 10. A plurality of the cutting members 30 may be installed
along a circumferential direction of the main shaft 10, and in the
current embodiment of the present invention, three cutting members 30 are
installed at the main shaft 10 at regular angle intervals of 120°.
For reference, a region where the cutting member 30 is installed at the
main shaft 10 in FIG. 1 is deliberately drawn horizontally symmetrical
with respect to a central axis line C for convenience. Looking at the
cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, an actual cross section below the central
axis line C is different from FIG. 1.

[0020] The cutting member 30 includes a lever 31, a cutter 32, and a
weight 33. The lever 31 has a stick shape. The lever 31 is disposed
parallel to the main shaft 10 and is hinged to the main shaft 10 to be
rotatable with respect to the main shaft 10. Referring to FIG. 2, three
pairs of lever supporters 12 protrude from an outer surface of the main
shaft 10. A hinge shaft 13 is installed at each pair of the lever
supporters 12 in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of
the main shaft 10. The lever 31 is rotatably installed at each hinge
shaft 13. As a result, each lever 31 is hinged to the main shaft 10 so
that the lever 31 is rotatable with respect to the hinge shaft 13 that is
perpendicular to the main shaft 10. The cutter 32 is combined to one end
of the lever 31 so that sheath of a wire W is peeled off. A sheath
removing performance may be improved by using the cutter 32 formed of an
artificial diamond. The weight 33 is installed at a location of the lever
31 opposite to where the cutter 32 is located from on a rotating axis
(the hinge shaft 13) of the lever 31. Accordingly, the location opposite
to where the cutter 32 is located is heavier due to the weight 33 from
the rotating axis of the lever 31. The weight 33 may be fixed to the
lever 31 after being manufactured separately from the lever 31, or may be
integrally formed with the lever 31 as one body. In the current
embodiment of the present invention, the weight 33 is separately
manufactured and combined to the lever 31 as shown in FIG. 1. An incline
311 is formed on an external surface of the lever 31 facing the central
axis line C of the main shaft 10. The incline 311 limits a nearest
distance of the cutter 32 to the wire W according to an interaction with
a diameter adjuster 51 of a slide shaft 50 that will be described later.

[0021] An elastic member 60 is installed between the main shaft 10 and the
cutting member 30, so as to provide an elastic force in a direction that
the cutter 32 moves farther from a center shaft line C of the main shaft
10.

[0022] A ring 14 having a cylindrical shape is formed at the main shaft
10, and the elastic member 60 having a spring shape is formed on an inner
wall of the ring 14. One end of the elastic member 60 is inserted into
the inner wall of the ring 14 of the main shaft 10, and another end of
the elastic member 60 is inserted into the lever 31 of the cutting member
30. The elastic member 60 is connected to the location of the lever 31
opposite to where the cutter 32 is located with respect to the hinge
shaft 13, so that the elastic member 60 provides the elastic force with
respect to the cutting member 30. According to the elastic force of the
elastic member 60, the lever 31 slants in such a way that a region of the
lever 31 where the weight 33 is installed is near to the main shaft 10
and a region of the lever 31 where the cutter 32 is installed is farther
from the main shaft 10.

[0023] A through hole 11 penetrating the main shaft 10 in a length
direction of the main shaft 10 is formed in the main shaft 10, and the
slide shaft 50 is inserted into the through hole 11. The diameter
adjuster 51 having a bump shape is formed at an end of the slide shaft
50. When the slide shaft 50 slides along the through hole 11 of the main
shaft 10, the diameter adjuster 51 moves along the incline 311 of the
lever 31 so as to limit a rotatable angle of the lever 31 with respect to
the hinge shaft 13. In other words, the diameter adjuster 31 limits the
nearest distance of the cutter 32 combined to the lever 31, to the
central axis line C of the main shaft 10.

[0024] A relative location of the slide shaft 50 with respect to the main
shaft 10 is adjusted by a diameter adjusting unit 70. The diameter
adjusting unit 70 includes a fixed body 71 and a knob 72.

[0025] The fixed body 71 is combined to the main shaft 10, and a male
screw is formed on an external diameter of the fixed body 71. The knob 72
has a cylindrical shape, and a female screw is formed on an internal
diameter of the knob 72. Thus, the knob 72 is screwed to the male screw
of the fixed body 71 and at the same time, combined to the slide shaft
50.

[0026] A location fixing nut 73 is inserted into the slide shaft 50 while
the knob 72 is inserted into the slide shaft 50 to prevent a relative
rotation, and is combined to the knob 72 by a bolt 74. Since the knob 72
is screwed to the fixed body 71, when the knob 72 is rotated, the slide
shaft 50 rotates with respect to the main shaft 10 while moving forward
or backward along the through hole 11 of the main shaft 10. As such, by
moving the slide shaft 50 forward or backward with respect to the main
shaft 10, a relative location between the diameter adjuster 51 and the
incline 311 is adjusted, thereby adjusting a distance between the cutter
32 and the central axis line C. When adjusting of a location of the slide
shaft 50 on the main shaft 10 is completed, a fixing bolt 75 installed to
contact the slide shaft 50 after penetrating through the fixing body 71
and the main shaft 10 is fastened so that the slide shaft 50 does not
relatively rotate with respect to the main shaft 10. When the location of
the slide shaft 50 on the main shaft 10 needs to be adjusted, the fixing
bolt 75 is unfastened and the knob 72 is rotated to adjust the location.

[0027] A part of the main shaft 10 and the cutting member 30 is
accommodated in the housing 40 as shown in FIG. 1. The housing 40 is
combined to the holder 80. An inserting hole 41 is formed on the housing
40, and the wire W is inserted into the inserting hole 41. The inserting
hole 41 guides the wire W to the cutter 32 of the cutting member 30.

[0028] An air inlet hole 42 and an air outlet hole 43 are formed in the
housing 40 near to the cutter 32. An suction pipe and a pneumatic pump
for sucking air according to pneumatic pressure are connected to the air
outlet hole 43. The air sucked by the air inlet hole 42 is externally
discharged through the air outlet hole 43. Dust of sheath of the wire W
removed by the cutter 32 is externally discharged through the air outlet
hole 43 with the air.

[0029] Operations of the wire stripper according to the current embodiment
of the present invention will now be described.

[0030] First, the wire W is inserted into the housing 40 through the
inserting hole 41. The lever 31 slants in such a way that the lever 31 is
farther from the central axis line C of the main shaft 10 near the
inserting hole 41. Accordingly, each cutter 32 of the three cutting
members 30 is spread from each other. The wire W is inserted with respect
to the housing 40, between the cutters 32 up to a location contacting the
slide shaft 50.

[0031] At this time, the rotating unit 20 is operated. The motor 21
rotates, and accordingly, the driving pulley 22 is rotated. The driven
pulley 24 connected to the driving pulley 22 by the belt 23 is also
rotated, and thus the main shaft 10 is rotated. The three cutting members
30 installed at the main shaft 10 are rotated with respect to the central
axis line C of the main shaft 10. When a rotating speed of the main shaft
10 gradually increases, each cutting member 30 is slanted while rotating
with respect to the hinge shaft 13 to a direction the cutters 32 approach
each other. As described above, the cutting member 30 is heavier at a
side where the weight 33 is disposed than a side where the cutter 32 is
disposed, from the hinge shaft 13, due to the weight 33. Accordingly, a
centrifugal force at the side where the weight 33 is disposed is higher
than a centrifugal force at the side where the cutter 32 is disposed, in
the cutting member 30. When the centrifugal force on the weight 33
gradually increases as the rotating speed of the main shaft 10 increases,
the centrifugal force overcomes the elastic force of the elastic member
60, and acts in a direction opposite to the elastic force. Accordingly,
the lever 31 rotates with respect to the hinge shaft 13 while the cutters
32 approach each other, and the cutters 32 contacts the wire W disposed
among the cutters 32. The cutter 32 formed of an artificial diamond
contacts the wire W while quickly rotating, thereby peeling off the
sheath of the wire W. When a user pulls the holder 80 away from the wire
W, the sheath of the wire W is peeled off by the cutter 32, and the wire
W slips through the inserting hole 41 of the housing 40.

[0032] Here, when air is sucked in a vacuum through the air outlet hole 43
of the housing 40, dust of the sheath is discharged to the outside of the
housing 40 through the air outlet hole 43 with the air sucked through the
air inlet hole 42.

[0033] As described above, while removing the sheath of the wire W, only
the sheath may be removed without peeling off a metal part of the wire W.
Sometimes, a surface of the metal part of the wire W may not be smooth
but uneven, and the wire stripper according to the current embodiment of
the present invention may prevent the metal part of the wire W from being
peeled off. As described above, since the cutting member 30 is installed
to freely rotate with respect to the hinge shaft 13, when a protruding
part of the metal part of the wire W and the cutter 32 contact each
other, the cutting member 30 rotates with respect to the hinge shaft 13
while the cutter 32 moves away from the wire W. Here, the elastic force
of the elastic member 60 helps such motions of the cutting member 30 for
shock absorbing action. In other words, the cutters 32 peel off the
sheath formed of a synthetic resin or synthetic paint having relatively
low rigidity, and do not cut off the metal part of the wire W, which have
relatively high rigidity.

[0034] Meanwhile, the diameter adjuster 51 of the slide shaft 50 also
prevents the metal part of the wire W from being cut off. When the
cutters 32 gradually approach the central axis line while peeling off the
sheath of the wire, the diameter adjuster 51 of the slide shaft 50 is
caught at the incline 311 of the lever 31, and thus the cutters 32 are
prevented from being approaching the wire W. According to an interaction
of the diameter adjuster 51 and the slide shaft 50, only the sheath of
the wire W may be peeled off.

[0035] When a thickness of the wire W is changed, a degree of peeling off
the sheath may be adjusted as follows. First, when the fixing bolt 75 is
somewhat unfastened, the slide shaft 50 and the main shaft 10 may
relatively rotate. When the knob 72 is rotated, the location fixing unit
73 and the slide shaft 50 rotate while the main shaft 10 and the fixed
body 71 are stationary. Since the knob 72 and the fixed body 71 are
screwed to each other, the slide shaft 50 moves forward or backward with
respect to the main shaft 10 according to a rotating direction of the
knob 72. When the slide shaft 50 moves forward with respect to the main
shaft 10, the diameter adjuster 51 pushes the incline 311, and thus a
space among the cutters 32 is widened. When the slide shaft 50 moves
backward with respect to the main shaft 10, the diameter adjuster 51
moves backward along the incline 311, and thus the space among the
cutters 32 is narrowed. Such a method of adjusting a diameter may be
performed in an opposite manner based on an incline direction of the
incline 311. When the location of the diameter adjuster 41 is adjusted
based on the thickness of the wire W, the fixing bolt 75 is fastened
again. The fixing bolt 75 is fastened to the slide shaft 50 through the
main shaft 10, so as to prevent a relative rotation of the main shaft 10
and the slide shaft 50. Accordingly, the main shaft 10, the slide shaft
50, the fixed body 71, the knob 72, and the location fixing nut 73 rotate
together.

[0036] A wire stripper of the present invention quickly and effectively
performs an operation of removing a sheath of a wire.

[0037] Also, the wire stripper removes only a required sheath of the wire.

[0038] While the present invention has been particularly shown and
described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in
form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

[0039] For example, the rotating unit 20 includes the motor 21, the
driving pulley 22, the driven pulley 24, and the belt 23, but a rotating
unit having another structure may be used. A solenoid or a coil may be
directly installed to a main shaft so that the main shaft rotates in the
same manner as a motor.

[0040] Also, the three cutting members 30 are installed at the main shaft
10 at regular angle intervals of 120°, but a number and angle
intervals of cutting members may differ as occasion demands.

[0041] Also, the elastic member 60 provides the elastic force by being
disposed between the ring 14 of the main shaft 10 and the cutting member
30, but an elastic member may provide an elastic force to a cutting
member, in any location and any method.

[0042] Also, the air inlet hole 42 and the air outlet hole 43 are
installed at the housing 40, and the air is sucked through the air outlet
hole 43, but according to circumstances, the housing 40 may not include
the air inlet hole 42 and the air outlet hole 43. Specifically, if a wire
stripper is manufactured to be portable, a housing may not include an air
inlet hole and an air outlet hole.

[0043] Also, a method of adjusting a diameter of a wire by using a
diameter adjusting unit may be changed according to a location and an
incline direction of an incline of a lever.

[0044] In addition, the diameter adjusting unit may adjust the diameter of
the wire while moving a slide shaft forward or backward with respect to a
main shaft, by using units other than the fixed body 71 and the knob 72.

[0045] Meanwhile, a size of an inserting hole formed in a housing may be
configured to change according to a thickness of a wire.